Masonry block apparatus



Oct. 31, 1961 R. F. MILLER 3,006,053

MASONRY BLOCK APPARATUS Filed Aug. 2, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. IA

\ 1 ENTOR Ros/m7- MILLER ATTORNEXS Oct. 31, 1961 R. F. MILLER MASONRY BLOCK APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug- 2, 1960 'INVENTOR ROBERT E MILLER BY W ATTORNEYS Oct. 31, 1961 Filed Aug. 2. 1960 R. F. MILLER 3,006,053

MASONRY BLOCK APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR ROBERT E MILLER B j i' W' ATTORNEY Oct. 31, 1961 R. F. MILLER 3,006,053

MASONRY BLOCK APPARATUS Filed Aug. 2', 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR ROBERT E mum ATTORNEYS Oct. 31, 1961 R. F. MILLER MASONRY BLOCK APPARATUS Filed Aug. 2, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 5' 'FIGZIZ INVENTOR ROBERT E MILLER ATTORNEYS United States Patent F 3,006,053 MASONRY BLOCK APPARATUS Robert F. Miller, Box 627, R1). 2, Pottstown, Pa. Filed Aug. 2, 1960, Ser. No. 46,960 20 Claims. (CI. 25-41) This invention relates to the manufacture of building materials and more particularly to an apparatus for making masonry blocks from cementitious material, such apparat-us being automatic in operation and providing blocks having a smooth finish on all surfaces.

Heretofore many different types of masonry block app-aratus have been proposed and utilized, such machines encompassing hand operated models in which the cementitious material is loaded into the mold and tamped by hand to automatic machines in which the mold is automatically filled and tamped or vibrated to compact the cementitious material therein. In the case of the hand operated model, the operation thereof is, of course, relatively slow and fatiguing and furthermore, the resulting product is not of uniform density due to the manner in which the cementitious material is tamped in the mold, since this cannot be done manumly in such a manner as to provide uniform density throughout the block and furthermore, the blocks produced in such an apparatus provided one or more surfaces having a rough finish which rendered the blocks unsuitable for certain uses.

In the case of automatic machines utilizing power driven tamping means or vibrators or a combination of vibration and compression, a block having uniform density was still not provided by reason of the fact that the tamping or vibration was usually carried out with the mold in one position resulting in a greater density at the bottom of the mold than at the top due to the influence of gravity on the cementitious material and furthermore, in many machines of this type, it was not possible to provide a smooth finish on all surfaces of the block, since the pres sure plate which was utilized to eject the block from the mold did not remain within the mold at all times and consequently, could not be provided with a relatively close sliding fit with the walls of the mold resulting in spaces between the edges of the pressure plate and the walls of the mold into which cementitious material could flow and furthermore in many instances, it was necessary to divide the pressure plate into sections to clear the supporting means for the core disposed within the mold. This was particularly true on machines which filled the mold from the top and ejected the block from the bottom of the mold.

While the use of automatic machinery for producing masonry blocks is highly desirable, particularly from a production standpoint, nevertheless, since such blocks are relatively heavy the apparatus necessary for producing such blocks must, of necessity, be rather massive and consequently, rapid operation of the same tends to produce shock and vibration of relatively large magnitude thereby necessitating extremely strong construction, as well as a relatively large and heavy foundation for supporting the apparatus. The nature of prior art automatic machines of this type was such that the same could not be adequately balanced and as a result, sock and vibration could not be appreciably reduced. A further factor requiring relatively massive construction of masonry block apparatus of the prior art type is the fact that relatively large compressive forces are required in order to properly compress the cementitious material in the mold and to eject the block from the mold and consequently the structure must, of necessity, provide sufficient strength to withstand such forces.

In many of the prior art machines of this type it was somewhat ditficult to change molds and cores in order to provide blocks of different size and configuration and Patented Oct. 31, 1961 ice furthermore, many of these prior art machines provided no means for varying the thickness of the block while using the same core and mold and at the same time, providing a uniform density throughout the block and a smooth finish on all surfaces.

In some prior art machines a pressure plate, serving also as a pallet, was dropped into the mold cavity and after fiilling of the mold with cementitious material the same was tamped on a similar pressure plate or conventional pallet placed on top of the mold and the material vibrated or compressed on both, the resulting block being ejected upward from the mold and removed with the first mentioned pressure plate serving as a pallet for the finished block. This type of machine required a strong pressure plate formed to the exact shape of the mold cavity and since such pressure plate served as a pallet for the finished block a separate pressure plate was required for each block produced.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a masonry block apparatus which is entirely automatic in operation md which will serve to produce a masonry block having substantially uniform density throughout and with a smooth finish on all surfaces.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a masonry block apparatus which is entirely automatic in operation and in which a mold may be filled to a predetermined depth with cementitious material and the material compressed to provide a block having a predetermined thickness.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a masonry block apparatus which is automatic in operation, a mold being filled with cementitious material in an upright position, the material compressed and the mold rotated to an inverted position with the material being vibrated both top and bottom during rotation of the mold to provide a uniform density throughout the block, the rotation of the mold serving to eliminate the effect of gravity on the density of the material in the block.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a masonry block apparatus which is automatic in operation, such apparatus including a mold frame for supporting a mold, the mold frame being mounted for rotation about a transverse axis thereof and being balanced about such axis, there being provided upper and lower crossheads slidably mounted on guide rods attached to the mold frame, the upper crosshead serving to clamp a pallet in position on top of the mold, the lower crosshead serving to actuate a pressure plate within the mold to compress the material therein and eject the block from the mold, the crossheads and associated elements being balanced about the axis of the mold frame in order to provide a balanced structure, thereby reducing shock and vibration.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a masonry block apparatus which is automatic in operation and in which a mold is filled with cementitious material in an upright position and thereafter inverted to permit ejection of the block downwardly from the top of the mold, means being provided for removing the block after ejection from the mold, such removing means also serving to wipe the surface of the mold, core and pressure plate disposed within the mold prior to movement of the mold to upright position for filling thereof.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a masonry block apparatus in which a pressure plate is slidably mounted within the mold, such pressure plate having a sliding fit at the inner surfaces of the mold, the pressure plate remaining within the mold at all stages of operation, thereby providing a block having a smooth finish on all surfaces.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a masonry block apparatus in which cementitious material deposited in a mold is compressed and vibrated during rotation of the mold from an upright filling position to an inverted block discharging position, thereby reducing the time of the production cycle and at the same time, eliminating the effect of gravity and providing a block having a uniform density throughout.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a masonry block apparatus which is automatic in operation and in which the various movable parts of the apparatus are operated by fluid pressure cylinders, there being means provided for controlling the speed of operation of each fluid pressure cylinder, as well as an over all control means for the operation of all fluid pressure cylinders in order to provide the proper sequence of operation.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a masonry block apparatus which is automatic in operation and in which all forces and masses are substantially balanced about a common central axis.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a masonry block apparatus in which all operation may be controlled from a single location and by a single person.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a masonry block apparatus which may be utilized to simultaneously produce a plurality of blocks of dilferent cross-sectional dimensions and in which means is provided to insure a uniform density of the material in each block.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a masonry block apparatus which is automatic in operation and which may be readily and economically constructed fro-m readily available materials and, which due to a balanced construction, may be made of a minimum weight and size.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a masonry block apparatus which will produce a block having a smooth finish on all surfaces and requiring only a plain solid flat pallet, regardless of the shape of the block and in which the pallet may be somewhat larger than the block to facilitate handling and prevent damage to the block.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a masonry block apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention and with the mold in upright filling position;

FIG. 1A is a fragmentary front elevational view with parts omitted and broken away for greater clarity and showing the relationship between the mold frame, the mold core, upper and lower crossheads, pressure plate, guide rods and the fluid pressure cylinders for operating the upper and lower crossheads;

FIG. 2 a side elevational view of a masonry block apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention and showing the means for filling the mold with cementitious material, as well as the means for ejecting or removing the finished block;

FIG. 3 a sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of FIG. 2 and showing the fluid pressure cylinder and associated mechanism for rotating the mold from up right filling position to inverted block discharging position and return to upright position;

FIG. 4 a rear elevational view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and particularly showing the means for conducting fluid pressure to the fluid pressure cylinders secured to the mold frame.

FIG. 5 a fragmentary top plan view showing the mold fill drawer, together with the agitator provided in the drawer for uniformly distributing cementitious material throughout the drawer prior to filling of the mold;

FIG. 6 a sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of FIG. 1 and showing a mold and core secured in place within the mold frame, as well as the associated equipment secured to the mold frame;

FIGURE 7 a sectional view taken substantially on the 4 line 77 of FIGURE 6 and showing a mold and core secured in place within the mold frame as well as means for ejecting or removing the finished block;

FIG. 8 a top plan view showing a mold for forming four blocks, there being three dilferent size cores pro vided in order to provide blocks having different cross sectional areas, all of which blocks are simultaneously molded;

FIG. 9 a sectional view taken substantially on the line 99 of FIG. 8 and showing the manner of vibrating separate pressure plates for separate cavities in the mold in order to provide uniform density regardless of the cross sectional dimensions of the particular block being formed;

FIG. 10 a fragmentary front elevational view showing the mold and associated elements in upright position preparatory to filling the mold with cementitious material;

FIG. 11 a view similar ot FIG. 10, but with a pallet in place on top of the mold and with the pallet clamped in place by downward movement of the upper crosshead;

FIG. 12 a view similar to FIG. 11, with the mold and associated elements moved to inverted position and with the pressure plate moved upwardly within the mold by operation of the lower crosshead to compress material in the mold, it being understood that the pressure plate and pallet are vibrated during movement of the mold from uptight to inverted position;

FIG. 13 a view similar to FIG. 12 with the upper crosshead and lower crosshead moved downwardly to partially eject the block from the mold;

FIG. 14 a view similar to FIG. 13 with the upper crosshead moved downwardly a sufiicient distance to separate the block from the mold and permit removal of the block and pallet from the pallet engaging means on the upper crosshead; and

FIG. 15 a view similar to FIG. 10, but showing movement of the mold and associated elements from inverted to upright position and the movement of the upper and lower crossheads during such turning movement.

With continued reference to the drawing, there is shown a masonry block apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention and which may well comprise a main frame formed of a base member 16, front upright members 11 and 12 secured to the base member It rear upright members 13 and 14 also secured to the base 10 and top side members 15 and 16 secured to the upper ends of the upright members 11, 12, 13 and 14.

Cross member 17 is mounted between the front uprights 11 and 12 and this cross member serves to support a bearing 18. In a similar manner, a cross member 19 is mounted between the rear uprights 13 and 14 and such cross member serves to support a bearing 20. Rotatably mounted in bearings 18 and 20 is a horizontal shaft 21 and as clearly shown in FIG. 2, shaft '21 projects forwardly of the forward uprights 11 and 12 and projects rearwardly of the rear uprights 13 and 14.

A flange 22 is provided on the forward end of shaft 21 and the flange 22 is secured by suitable fastening means 23 to a mold frame 24 which, as best shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, is generally rectangular in formation and is open at the top and bottom, The mold frame 24 may be formed by front and rear walls 25 and 26 and by sidewalls 27 and 28. As clearly shown in FIG. 6, the flange 22 on the shaft 21 is secured to the rear wall '26 of the mold frame 24 and it is to be noted, that the center of the shaft 21 is in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the mold frame 24. While the mold frame 24 is shown and described as generally rectangular in cross-section, it is to be understood that other shapes may be utilized if desirable.

A mold 29 is disposed within the mold frame 24 and may be supported therein by supporting bars 30 secured to the lower edges of the front and rear walls 25 and 26 of the mold frame 24 by screw threaded or other suitable fastening means 31, The mold 29 may also be addi tionally supported by bars 32 secured to the lower edges of the front and rear walls 25 and 26 of the mold frame 24 by screw threaded or other suitable fastening means 33 and the bars 32 also serve to support a core 34 of any desired shape within the mold 29. The bars 32 may be secured to the core 34 by screw threaded or other suitable fastening means 35. It is to be understood that the upper surface 36 of the core 34 is in substantially the same plane as the upper edges of the mold 29, as clearly shown in FIG. 7.

Guide rods 37 are secured to the sidewall 27 of the mold frame 24 by suitable brackets 38 and similar guide rods 39 are secured to the sidewall 28 of the mold frame 24 by suitable brackets 40. As clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, guide rods 37 and 39 extend above and below the mold frame 24.

An upper crosshead 41 is slidably mounted on the guide rods 37 and 39 above the mold frame 24 by suitable bearings 42 and a plate 43- is secured to the lower surface of the crosshead 41 by screw threaded fastening means or the like 44, there being a yieldable means 45, such as a rubber washer or the like, disposed between the fastening means 44 and the plate 43 in order to yieldably secure the plate in position on the upper crosshead 41. A vibrator of any suitable design 46 may be secured to the plate 43 and the purpose and operation of the vibrator 46 Will be later described. A pallet engaging means in the form of downwardly projecting channel irons 47 may be secured to the lower surface of the plate 43 and secured to the pallet engaging means 47 are a pair of spaced rails 48 which extend forwardly of the mold frame 24 for a purpose to be later described. While channel irons 47 have been shown as providing pallet engaging means, obviously other means, such as a solid block may be employed for this purpose, but since it is desired to keep weight to a minimum, channel irons or some equivalent shape provide the preferred structure.

Fluid pressure cylinders 49 and 50 are secured to the sidewalls 27 and 28 of the mold frame 24, as clearly shown in FIGS. 1A and 7 and as best shown in FIG. 1A, the pistons 51 and 52 of the cylinders 49 and 50 are connected to the upper crosshead 41 and serve to move the same toward and away from the mold frame 24 upon operation of the fluid pressure cylinders 49 and 50. The fluid pressure cylinders 49 and 50 are of the double acting type and may be supplied with fluid pressure through suitable conduits 53 and 54 connected to the cylinder 49 and conduits 55 and 56 connected to the cylinder 50.

A lower crosshead 57 is slidably mounted on the guide rods 37 and 39 below the mold frame 24 by suitable bearings 58 and fixed to the opposite outer ends of the lower crosshead 57 are fluid pressure cylinders 59' and 60. Piston 61 of cylinder 59 may be screw threaded at the upper end as at 62, and the screw threaded end may pass through an aperture in the upper crosshead 41 and be adjustably attached thereto by screw threaded fastening means 63 and 64 disposed above and below the upper crosshead 41. In a similar manner, the piston 65 of the cylinder 60 may have an upper end 66 passing through an aperture in the upper crosshead 41 and be adjustably secured thereto by screw threaded fastening means 67 and 68 received on the threaded end 67. By proper adjustment of the screw threaded fastening means 63, 64, 67 and 68, the position of the upper crosshead 41 with relation to the pistons 61 and 65 and consequently to the lower crosshead 57 may be adjusted.

A plate 69 is yieldably secured to the upper surface of the lower crosshead 57 by screw threaded fastening means 70 and yieldable washers 71 and such mounting permits movement of the plate 69 with respect to the lower crosshead 57. A vibrator 72 of any suitable design is secured to the plate 69 and the purpose and operation of the vibrator 72 will be later described. A plurality of upwardly extending push rods 73 are se cured to the plate 69 and fixed to the upper 'end of the push rods 73 within the mold 29 is a pressure plate 74. As best shown in FIG. 7, the pressure plate 74 is slidably received within the mold 29' and since the pressure plate 74 is never withdrawn from the mold 29, a relatively close sliding fit may be provided between the edges of the pressure plate 74 and the inner surfaces of the mold 29, as well as between the edges of the pressure plate 74 and the surface of the core 34. This close sliding fit of the pressure plate 74- is important in providing a smooth finish on the lower surface of the block to be formed within the mold and the manner in which this is accomplished will be later described. Stop rods 75 and 76 are secured to the mold frame 24 and project downwardly therefrom through apertures in the lower crosshead 57 and threadedly received on the stop rods 75 and 76 are nuts 77 and 78 which may be adjusted to limit movement of the lower crosshead 77 away from the mold frame 24. While nuts 77 and 78 are shown as threadedly received on the rods 75 and 76, it is to be understood that other equivalent means, such as grooves and removable horseshoe washers or the like may be employed for adjusting the limit of movement of the lower crosshead 57 away from the mold frame 24.

With particular reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, a pinion gear 79 is fixed to the shaft 21 rearwardl-y of the rear uprights 13 and 14 and meshing with the pinion gear 79 is a rack 80 which is fixed to the piston 81 of a double acting fluid pressure cylinder 82 which is secured to the upright 14 of the frame by a suitable bracket 83. The fluid pressure cylinder 82 may be supplied with fiuid pressure through suitable conduits 84 and 85. Operation of the fluid pressure cylinder 82 and rack 80 will serve to move the mold frame 24 and elements carried thereby from the upright mold filling position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to an inverted block ejecting position. This rotary movement is indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1. The mold frame 24 may be accurately located in upright filling position and in inverted block discharging position by engagement of a stop member 86 secured to the mold frame 24 with a stop block 87 secured to a portion of the main frame. The stop block 87 may, if desired, be provided with yieldable means for cushioning the impact of the stop member 86 therewith.

A hopper S8 for receiving cementitious material may be mounted on the main frame and a suitable conveyor 89 may be provided for delivering such cementitious material to the hopper 88. A mold fill drawer 90 may be slidably mounted on rails 91 and 92 secured to the main frame and as best shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the fill drawer 90 is disposed below the hopper 38 and above the mold frame 24. The fill drawer 90 open at the top and bottom and when in retracted position as shown in- FIG. 2, the bottom of the drawer 99 is closed by a plate 93 secured to the main frame. As shown in FIG. 5, the fill drawer 90' is provided with an agitator in the form of rotating arms 94 driven through a gear box 95 from a shaft 96 mounted in bearings 97 and inturn coupled to a suitable motor 98 carried by the fill drawer 90. The operation of the agitator will be presently described. A fluid pressure cylinder 99 is mounted on a rearward extension 100 of the main frame and the piston 101 of the cylinder 99 is secured to the fill drawer 90 'and operation of the cylinder 99 serves to move the fill drawer 90 from the cementitious material receiving position shown in FIG. 2, to a mold filling position above the mold frame 24 and return to the position shown in FIG. 2.

In order to deposit material in the fill dnawer 90, there may be provided a suitable endless conveyor 102 disposed below the hopper 88 and serving to receive material therefrom and deposit the same in the fill drawer 90 through the open upper side thereof. The conveyor 102. may be driven from a suitable motor 103 through a belt or other suitable driving means 104. If desired, a brush 7 105 may be provided to remove cementitious material from the upper surface 106 of the rear portion of the fill drawer 90 in which the motor 98 is. located, it being obvious, particularly from an inspection of FIG. 5, that only the forward portion of the fill drawer 9G is open at the top and bottom.

With particular reference to FIG. 2 there is shown a block and pallet removing means which may well cornprise a fluid pressure cylinder 107 secured to the front and rear uprights 11 and 13 of the main frame by suitable front and rear brackets 108 and 109 and the fluid pressure cylinder 107 may be supplied with operating fluid through suitable conduits 110 and 111. The piston 11-2 of the fluid pressure cylinder 167 is provided on the forward end thereof with a block and pallet engaging ram 113 and as shown in FIG. 2, the ram 113 is disposed below the mold frame 24. The ram 113 is provided with a wiper 114, the purpose and operation of which will be later described.

The fluid pressure connections 53, 54, S and 56 of fluid pressure cylinders 49 and 56, as well as the con nections 115, 116, 117 and 118 of fluid pressure cylinders 59 and 60 are supplied with fluid pressure by means of conduits 119 attached to the shaft 21 and rotating there with. As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the conduits 119 are connected at the rear end of shaft 21 to flexible conduits 129, 121, 122 and 123 which in turn are connected to solenoid operated control valves 124, 125, 126 and 127 mounted on the frame extension 1%. In order to prevent sharp bends in the flexible conduits during rotation of the shaft 21 in order to prolong the life of such conduits and also prevent throttling of the flow of fluid therethrough, there may be provided on the rear end of shaft 21 and arcuate plate 130 forming a portion of a cylinder and as clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the flexible conduits extend around and are supported by the arcuate plate 130 during rotation of the shaft 21 thereby causing bending of the conduits on a relatively large radius.

The solenoid operated valves above described serve to control the supply of fluid pressure to the cylinders 49, 50, 59 and 69' and additional solenoid operated valves, not shown, may be utilized to control the supply of fluid pressure to the fluid pressure cylinder 82, as well as the cylinder 539 and 107. The solenoid operated valves may be manually controlled by switches located in a convenient position or if desired, such valves may be automatically controlled by a suitable timer apparatus or by a suitable cam arrangement. Since these automatic controls for the valves form no part of the instant invention, it is not believed necessary or desirable to illustrate and specifically describe the same. It will be understood, however, that conventional timer or cam arrangements may be utilized for this purpose.

In the operation of the above described apparatus it is assumed that the hopper 88 is provided with a supply of cementitious material and that the conveyor 162 is operating to deliver cementitious material from the hopper 83 into the fill drawer 5 t The agitator arms or blades 24 in the fill drawer 90 are rotating to evenly distribute the cementitious material in the fill drawer 99 and with the mold frame 24 and elements carried thereby in upright mold filling position as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 andlO, fluid pressure is supplied to the fluid pressure cylinder 99 to move the fill drawer 90 forwardly to a position above the mold 29 which will result in the cementitious material in the fill drawer 90 flowing into the mold 29 and filling the same. The fluid pressure cylinder 99 is thereafter actuated to retract the fill drawer i i to the position shown in FIG. 2 where the same will be refilled with cementitious material from the hopper 88. Prior to filling of the mold 29 with cementitious material, the nuts 77 and 78 on the stop rods 75 and 76 were adjusted to locate the pressure plate 74 at the desired elevation in the mold 29 thereby controlling the depth to which the mold 29 is filled with cementitious material.

After filling the mold 29 with cementitious material a suitable pallet 131 of wood or other suitable material is placed on top of the mold 29 and mold frame 24 and the fluid pressure cylinders 49 and 59 are operated to lower the upper crosshead 41 and the pallet engaging members 47 into engagement with the pallet 131 to clamp the same in place on top of the mold 29 and mold frame 24 as clearly shown in FIG. ll. The fluid pressure cylinders 52 and 60 are then operated to move the lower crosshead 57, together with the push rods 73 and pressure plate 74 upwardly, to compress the material in the mold 29 as clearly shown in FIG. 12. At this time, the fluid pressure cylinder 82 is operated to cause rotation of the shaft 21 and mold frame 24 and mold 29 carried thereby in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 12 and at the same time, the vibrators 46 and 72 are energized to vibrate the pallet 131, as well as the pressure plate 74 and since this vibration takes place during rotation of the mold, the effects of gravity on the density of the material within the mold will be eliminated. During rotation of the mold the fluid pressure cylinders 59 and 60 continue to operate to move the PIGSSHIB plate 74 within the mold 22 to final position which will determine the thickness of the block formed in the mold and such thickness was previously adjusted by suitable adjustment of the nuts 63 and 64 on the threaded portion 62 of the piston 61 extending from the cylinder 59, as well as adjustment of the nuts 67 and 68 on the threaded portion 66 of the piston rod 65 extending from the cylinder 60. Upon completion of the rotational movement of the mold 2% to the position shown in FIG. 12, cementitious material will have been compressed to the desired thickness in the mold 29 and as stated above, due to vibration of both sides thereof during rotation, the material will be of uniform density throughout the block.

With particular reference to FIG. 13, the cylinders 49 and 5b are operated to move the upper crosshead 41 and lower crosshead 57 downwardly as a unit which will operate to eject the block 132 from the mold 29, the pressure plate 74 operating in this instance as an ejector. The block 132 as shown in FIG. 14, is moved to block removing position by operation of the fluid pressure cylinders 59 and 6G to move the upper crosshead 41 downwardly away from the mold frame 24 and upon reaching the position shown in FIG. 14, the fluid pressure cylinder 167 is operated to move the ram 113 into engagement with the pallet 131 and block 132 to move the same outwardly on the rails or bars 48 carried by the pallet engaging means 47 and on to a suitable conveyor 133 by means of which the block 132 may be moved to a suitable storage area or to other transportation means. Upon operation of the fluid pressure cylinder 157 to retract the ram 113, the wiper 114 will operate to wipe the end surfaces of the mold frame 24, mold 29, pressure plate 74 and core 34. Upon completion of the wiping operation, the fluid pressure cylinder 82 is operated to return the mold frame 24 and elements carried thereby to upright position as shown by the arrow in FIG. 15 and during this rotational movement, the fluid pressure cylinders 49, 5t), 59 and 60 are operated to return the upper crosshead 41 and lower crosshead 57 to the position shown in FIG. 10, whereupon the apparatus is in condition to repeat the block molding cycle.

It will be seen that by the above described invention there has been provided a relatively simple, yet highly effective and conveniently operated apparatus for forming masonry block and one in which the density of the block is maintained uniform throughout and also in which smooth finish is provided on all surfaces of the block. Since the elements carried by the mold frame 24 are balanced about the axis of the shaft 21 on which the mold frame 24 is mounted and furthermore, since weights of the various movable parts are maintained at a minimum, by reason of the structure of the upper and lower crossheads operating toward and away from the mold frame 24, shock and vibration are maintained at a minimum. The apparatus may be operated at a relatively high speed and the operation thereof may be manually controlled through switches and solenoid operated valves or such valves may be automatically controlled by suitable timing or cam mechanism. In either case, the operation of the machine insofar as filling of the mold, formation of the block, ejection and removal of the block is entirely automatic and the only manual effort required would be the operation of the control switches. As stated above, the effects of gravity on the material in the mold is eliminated or reduced to a minimum by the nature of the structure and operation permitting vibration of the material during rotation of the mold from upright filling position to inverted removal position and furthermore, since certain of the operations take place during rotation of the mold, the time of the operating cycle is reduced to a minimum.

The structure and operation of the apparatus of this invention has been described above in connection with a single cavity mold, but the structure of this apparatus readily adapts itself to the use of a multiple cavity mold in which a plurality of blocks having different wall thicknesses may be conveniently molded and the structure may be so designed as to provide vibration of different frequency or amplitude or length of vibration time period by means of individual timers connected to vibrator circuits for each mold cavity in order to encourage more or less loose fill into a given mold when the feed box is over the mold and properly compacts the material therein and assure uniform density throughout the block.

With particular reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, there is shown a multiple cavity mold 134 which, of course, would be suitably mounted in the mold frame 24 of the apparatus above described and the mold 134 is provided with cavities 135, 136, 137 and 138. The cavity 135 is intended to provide a solid block, While the cavity 136 is provided with a relatively small core 139, the cavity 137 with a somewhat larger core 140 and the cavity 138 with a relatively large core 141. A separate pressure plate is provided for each of the mold cavities and as shown in FIG. 9, the cavity 136 may be provided with a pressure plate 142 mounted on push rods 143 which in turn are carried by a plate 144 mounted on the lower crosshead 57 of the apparatus. In a similar manner, the cavity 138 may be provided with a pressure plate 145 carried by push rods 146 which in turn are secured to a plate 147 mounted on the lower crosshead 57 of the apparatus. A relatively small vibrator 148 may be secured to the plate 144 and will provide vibrations of suitable amplitude and frequency for the material in the cavity 136 is determined by the wall thickness of the block to be molded, while the plate 147 may have mounted thereon a relatively large vibrator 149 to provide vibration for the material within the relatively thin wall sections of the block to be molded in cavity 138. It is to be understood that suitable vibrators will also be provided for the pressure plates in cavities 135 and 137 and in some instances, it may be possible to eliminate vibration of the material in one cavity, such as 135, where no core is present and a relatively large mass of material is utilized to form the block. However, it is to be understood that vibrators may be utilized for any of the cavities as required.

As a result of this novel structure, various shapes and sizes of blocks may be simultaneously formed in the apparatus of this invention and the material properly filled, vibrated and compressed to provide a block having uniform density throughout.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A masonry block apparatus comprising a mam frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a generally rectangular mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to one end of said shaft exteriorly of said main frame, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to opposite ends of said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper crosshead slidably mounted on said rods above said mold frame, a plate, yieldable means securing said plate to said crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said plate, pallet engaging means projecting downwardly from said plate, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to opposite ends of said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crosshead, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, a second plate, yieldable means securing said second plate to said lower crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said second plate, push rods extending upwardly from said second plate, a pressure plate fixed to said push rod and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, a pinion gear fixed to said shaft, a rack meshing with said pinion gear, a fluid pressure cylinder for actuating said rack to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an in verted block discharging position and return to said upright position, stop means for limiting rotary movement of said shaft and mold frame in both directions, a hopper mounted on said main frame, a mold fill drawer slidably mounted on said main frame below said hopper and above said mold frame, a conveyor for feeding cementitious material from said hopper into said fill drawer, an agitator in said fill drawer, a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame for moving said fill drawer from a drawer filling position below said conveyor to a mold filling position above said mold, block removing means comprising a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame, a block and pallet engaging ram carried by the piston of said last named cylinder and disposed below said mold frame and a Wiper on said ram for wiping the surfaces of said mold, core and pressure plate when in inverted block discharging position, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads, the block moved downwardly to block discharging position by further downward movement of said upper crosshead and the block and pallet removed from said pallet engaging means by operation of said ram.

2. A masonry block apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said mold is divided into a plurality of sections to provide a multiple cavity mold, a different size core in certain of said cavities, a pressure plate for each cavity and a separate vibrator for each pressure plate, the eflective size of said vibrators being varied in accordance 11 with the wall thickness of the block molded in each cavity.

3. A masonry block apparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said mold is divided into a plurality of sections to provide a multiple cavity mold, a core in certain of said cavities, a pressure plate for each cavity and a separate vibrator for each pressure plate.

4. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to one end of said shaft exteriorly of said main frame, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and dis posed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper crosshead slidably mounted on said rods above said mold frame, a plate, yieldable means securing said plate to said crosshead, a vibrator mounted on, said plate, pallet engaging means projecting downwardly from said plate, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to opposite ends of said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crosshead, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, a second plate, yieldable means securing said second plate to said lower crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said second plate, push rods extending upwardly from said second plate, a pressure plate fixed to said push rods and slidaoly disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, a pinion gear fixed to said shaft, a rack meshing with said pinion gear, a fluid pressure cylinder for actuating said rods to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, stop means for limiting rotary movement of said shaft and mold frame in both directions, a hopper mounted on said main frame, a mold fill drawer slidably mounted on said main frame below said hopper and above said mold frame, a conveyor for feeding cementitious material from said hopper into said fill drawer, an agitator in said fill drawer, a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame for moving said fill drawer from a drawer filling position below said conveyor to a mold filling position above said mold, block removing means comprising a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame, a block and pallet engaging ram carried by the piston of said last named cylinder and disposed below said mold frame and a wiper on said ram for wiping the surfaces of said mold, core and pressure plate, when in inverted block discharging position, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped 'in position by downward movement of said upper 'crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower cross head and pressure plate, said material further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and element carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads, the block moved downwardly to block discharging position by further downward movement of said upper crosshead and the block and pallet removed from said pallet engaging means by operation of said ram.

5. A masonry block appartus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame,

a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to the one end of said shaft exteriorly of said main frame, a mold'open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper crosshead slidably mounted on said rods above said mold rame, a plate, yieldable means securing said plate to said crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said plate, pallet engaging means projecting downwardly from said plate, fiuid pressure cylinders fixed to opposite ends of said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders connected to said crosshead, a lower cross'nead slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, a second plate, yieldable means securing said second plate to said lower crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said second plate, push rods extending upwardly from said second plate, a pressure plate fixed to said pushrods and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, a pinion gear fixed to said shaft, 21 rack meshing with said pinion gear, a fluid pressure cylinder for actuating said rack to turn said shaft, mold frame and element carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, stop means for limiting rotary movement of said shaft and mold frame in both directions, a hopper mounted on said main frame, a mold fill drawer slidably mounted on said main frame below said hopper and above said mold frame, a conveyor for feeding cementitious material from said hopper into said fill drawer, a fluid pres sure cylinder mounted on said main frame for moving said fill drawer from a drawer filling position below said conveyor to a mold filling position above said mold, block removing means comprising a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame, a block and pallet engaging ram carried by the piston of said last named cylinder and disposed below said mold frame and a wiper on said rain for wiping the surfaces of said mold, core and pressure plate when in inverted block discharging position, means for supplying fiuid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be'filled with cementitious material in upright po sition, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads, the block moved downwardly to block discharging position by further downward movement of said upper crosshead and the block and pallet removed from said pallet engaging means by operation of said ram.

6. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to one end of said shaft exteriorly of said main frame, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper cross-- head slidably mounted on said rods above said mold frame, a plate, yieldable means securing said plate to said crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said plate, pallet engaging means on said plate, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said opposite ends of said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crossheads, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rod below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, a second plate, yieldable means securing said second plate to said lower crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said second plate, push rods extending upwardly from said second plate, a pressure plate fixed to said push rods and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, a pinion gear fixed to said shaft, a rack meshing with said pinion gear, a fluid pressure cylinder for actuating said rod to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, stop means for limiting rotary movement of said shaft and mold frame in both directions, a hopper mounted on said main frame, a mold fill drawer slidably mounted on said main frame below said hopper and above said mold frame, a conveyor for feeding cementitious material from said hopper into said fill drawer, a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame for moving said fill drawer from a drawer filling position below said conveyor to a mold filling position above said mold, block removing means comprising a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame, a block and pallet engaging ram carried by the piston of said last named cylinder and disposed below said mold frame and a wiper on said ram for wipingthe surfaces of said mold, core and pressure plates when in inverted block discharging position, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in upri ht position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and element carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads, the block moved downwardly to block discharging position by further downward movement of said upper crosshead and the block and pallet removed from said pallet engaging means by operation of said ram.

7. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to said shaft, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper crosshead slidably mountedon said rods above said mold frame, a plate, yieldable means securing said plate to said crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said plate, pallet engaging means on said plate, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to opposite ends of said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said closshead, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, a second plate, yieldable means securing said second plate to said lower crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said second plate, push rods extending upwardly from said second plate, a pressure plate fixed to said push rods and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, a pinion gear fixed to said shaft, a rack meshing with said pinion gear, a fluid pressure cylinder for actuating said rack to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, stop means for limiting rotary movement of said shaft and mold frame in both directions, a hopper mounted on said main frame, amold fill drawer slidably mounted on said main frame below said hopper and above said mold frame, a conveyor for feeding cementitious material from said hopper into said fill drawer, a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame for moving said fill drawer from a drawer filling position below said conveyor to a mold filling position above said mold, block removing means comprising a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame, a block and pallet engaging ram carried by the piston of said last named cylinder and disposed below said mold frame and a wiper on said ram for wiping the surfaces of said mold, core and pressure plates when in block discharging position, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with a cementitious material in upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold by simultane ous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads, the block moved downwardly to block discharging position by further downward movement of said upper crosshead and the block and pallet removed from said pallet engaging means by operation of said ram.

8. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to said shaft, a mold open at the top and bottom secured to said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper cross head slidably mountedon said rods above said mold frame, a plate, yieldable means securing said plate to said crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said plate, pallet engaging means on said plate, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crossheads, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crossheads, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, a second plate, yieldable means securing said second plate to said lower crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said second plate, push rods extending upwardly from said second plate, a pressure plate fixed to said push rods and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustablymounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, a pinion gear fixed to said shaft, a rack meshing with said pinion gear, a fluid pressure cylinder for actuating said rack to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, a hopper mounted on said main frame, a mold fill drawer slidably mounted on said main frame below said hopper and above said mold frame, a conveyor for feeding cementitious material from said hopper into said fill drawer, a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame for moving said fill drawer from a drawer filling position below said conveyor to a mold filling position above said mold, block moving means comprising a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame, a block and pallet engaging ram carried by the piston of said last named cylinder and disposed below said mold frame and a wiper on said ram for wiping the surfaces of said mold, core and pressure plates and in inverted block discharging position, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads, the block moved downwardly to block discharging position by further downward movement of said upper crosshead and the block and pallet removed from said pallet engaging means by operation of said ram.

9. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to said shaft, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper crosshead slidably mounted on said rods above said mold frame, a plate, yieldable means securing said plate to said crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said plate, pallet engaging means on said plate, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crosshead, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fiuid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, a second plate, yieldable means securing said second plate to said lower crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said second plate, push rods extending upwardly from said second plate, a pressure plate fixed to said push rods and slid ably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, a pinion gear fixed to said shaft, a rack meshing with said pinion gear, a fluid pressure cylinder for actuating said rack to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, a hopper mounted on said main frame, a mold fill drawer slidably mounted on said main frame below said hopper and above said mold frame, a conveyor for feeding cementitious material from said hopper into said fill drawer, a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame for moving said fill drawer from a drawer filling position below said conveyor to a mold filling position above said mold, block removing means comprising a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame, a block and pallet engaging ram carried by the piston of said last named cylinder and disposed below said mold frame, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads, the block moved downwardly to block discharging position by further downward movement of said upper crosshead and the block and pallet removed from said pallet engaging means by operation of said ram.

10. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to said shaft, a mold open at the top and bottom and secured in said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper crosshead slidably mounted on said guide rods above said mold frame, a plate, yieldable means securing said plate to said crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said plate, pallet engaging means on said plate, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crosshead, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, a second plate, yieldable means securing said second plate to said lower crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said second plate, push rods extending upwardly from said second plate, a pressure plate fixed to said push rods and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, means to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted bloc-k discharging position and return to said upright position, a hopper mounted on said main frame, a mold fill drawer slidably mounted on said main frame below said hopper and above said mold frame, a conveyor for feeding cementitious material from said hopper into said fill drawer, a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame for moving said fill drawer from a drawer filling position below said conveyor to a mold filling position above said mold, block removing means comprising a fluid pressure cylinder, mounted on said main frame, a block and pallet engaging ram carried by the piston of said last named cylinder and disposed below said mold frame, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in an upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in positon by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads, the block moved downwardly to block discharging position by further downward movement of said upper crosshead and the block and pallet removed from said pallet engaging means by operation of said ram.

11. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to said shaft, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper crosshead slidably mounted on said rods above said mold frame, a plate, yieldable means securing said plate to said crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said plate, pallet engaging means on said plate, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crosshead, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, a second plate, yieldable means securing said second plate to said lower crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said second plate, push rods extending upwardly from said second plate, a pressure plate fixed to said push rods and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, means to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, a hopper mounted on said main frame, a mold fill drawer slidably mounted on said main frame below said hopper and above said mold frame, a conveyor for feeding cementitious material from said hopper into said fill drawer, means for moving said fill drawer from a drawer filling position below said conveyor to a mold filling position above said mold, block removing means comprising a fluid pressure cylinder mounted on said main frame, a block and pallet engaging ram carried by the piston of said last named cylinder and disposed below said mold frame, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operaiton of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads, the block moved downwardly to block discharging position and further downward movement of said upper crosshead and the block and pallet removed from said pallet engaging means by operation of said ram.

12. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to said shaft, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper crosshead slidably mounted on said rods above said mold frame, a plate, yieldable means secured to said crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said plate, pallet engaging means on said plate, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crossheads, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, a second plate, yieldable means securing said second plate to said lower crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said second plate, push rods extending upwardly from said second plate, a pressure plate fixed to said push rods and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, means to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block dis.-

18' charging position and return to said upright position, a hopper mounted on said main frame, a mold fill drawer slidably mounted on said main frame below said hopper and above said mold frame, a conveyor for feeding cementitious material from said hopper into said fill drawer, means for moving said fill drawer from a drawer filling position below said conveyor to a mold filling position above said mold, block removing means, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in upright position, a pallet placed,

on top of said mold and clamped in position by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads, the block moved downwardly to block discharging position by further downward movement of said upper crosshead and the block and pallet removed from said pallet engaging means.

13. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to said shaft, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper crosshead slidably mounted on said rods above said mold frame, a plate, yieldable means securing said platetto said crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said plate, pallet engaging means on said plate, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crosshead, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, a second plate, yieldable means securing said second plate to said lower crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said second plate,,push rods extending upwardly from'said second plate, a pressure plate fixed to said push rods and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, means to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, a hopper mounted on said main frame, a mold fill drawer slidably mounted on said main frame below said hopper and above said mold frame, a conveyor for feeding cementitious material from said hopper into saidfill drawer, means for moving said fill drawer from a drawer filling position below said conveyor to a mold filling position above said mold, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upwardly movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said 'mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper 14. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to said shaft, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper crosshead slidably mounted on said rods above said mold frame, a plate, yieldable means securing said plate to said crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said plate, pallet engaging means on said plate, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crosshead, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, a second plate, yieldable means securing said second plate to said lower crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said second plate, push rods extending upwardly from said second plate, a pressure plate fixed to said push rods and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, means to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, a mold fill drawer slidably mounted on said main frame above said mold frame, a conveyor for--feeding cementitious material into said fill drawer, means for moving said fill drawer from a drawer filling position below said conveyor to a mold filling position abovesaidmold, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said'mold may be filled with cementitious materialin upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position by' downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead'and pressure plate, said material further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads and the block moved downwardly to block discharging position by further downward movement of said upper crosshead. r

p 15. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame a mold frame open at the top and bottom and lifted to said shaft, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the' same, an-upper crosshead slidably mounted on said rods above said mold frame, a plate, yieldable means securing said plate to said crosshead, a vibrator mounted onsaid plate, pallet engaging means on said plate, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crosshead, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, a second plate, yieldable means securing said second plate to 'said lower crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said second plate, push rods extending upwardly from said second plate, a pressure plate fixed to said push rods and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said m'old, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging the lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame,

means to'turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold fllling'position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, a mold fill drawer for cementitious material slidably mounted on said main frame above said mold frame, means for moving said fill drawer to a mold filling position above said mold, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said materrial further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads, and the block moved downwardly to block discharging position by further downward movement of said upper crosshead.

16. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to said shaft, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper crosshead slidably mounted on said rods above said mold frame, a plate, yieldable means securing said plate to said crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said plate, pallet engaging means on said plate, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crosshead, a lower cross-head slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, a second plate, yieldable means securing said second plate to said lower crosshead, a vibrator mounted on said second plate, push rods extending upwardly from said second plate, a pressure plate fixed to said push rod and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said step rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, means [to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, means for filling said mold with cementitious material, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position. by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads and the block moved downwardly to block discharging posit on by further downward movement of said upper crosshead.

17. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to said shaft, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core secured to said mold frame and disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending aboveand below the same,- an upper crosshead slidably mounted on said rods above said mold frame, pallet engaging means on said upper crosshead, a vibrator connected to said pallet engaging means, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crosshead, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, push rods extending upwardly from said lower crosshead, a vibrator connected to said push rods, a pressure plate fixed to said push rods and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, means to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, means for filling said mold with cementitious material, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads and the block moved downwardly to block discharging position by further downward movement of said upper crosshead.

18. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to said shaft, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper crosshead slidably mounted on said rods above said mold frame, pallet engaging means on said upper crosshead, a vibrator connected to said pallet engaging means, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crosshead, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rods below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, push rods extending upwardly from said lower crosshead, a vibrator connected to said push rods, a pressure plate fixed to said push rods and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, means to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, means for filling said mold with cementitious material, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material further compressed and vibrated during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to invented position, the block ejected from said mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads and the block 22 moved downwardly to block discharging position by further downward movement of said upper crosshead.

19. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bottom and fixed to said shaft, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper crosshead slidably mounted on said rods above said mold frame, pallet engaging means on said upper crosshead, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crosshead, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rod below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being adjustably connected to said upper crosshead, push rods extending upwardly from said lower crosshead, a pressure plate fixed to said push rod and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the walls of said mold, stop rods projecting downwardly from said mold frame, stop means adjustably mounted on said stop rods for engaging said lower crosshead to limit movement thereof away from said mold frame, means to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, means for filling said mold wit-h cementitious material, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material further compressed during movement of said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from said mold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crossheads and the block moved downwardly to block discharging poiition by further downward movement of said upper crossead.

20. A masonry block apparatus comprising a main frame, a horizontal shaft rotatably mounted on said main frame, a mold frame open at the top and bot-tom and fixed to said shaft, a mold open at the top and bottom secured in said mold frame, a core disposed within said mold, guide rods fixed to said mold frame and extending above and below the same, an upper crosshead slidably mounted on said rods above said mold frame, pallet engaging means on said upper crosshead, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said mold frame, the pistons of said cylinders being connected to said crosshead, a lower crosshead slidably mounted on said rod below said mold frame, fluid pressure cylinders fixed to said lower crosshead, the pistons of said last named cylinders being ad justably connected to said upper crosshead, push rods extending upwardly from said lower crosshead, a pressure plate fixed to said push rods and slidably disposed in said mold between said core and the Walls of said mold, means to turn said shaft, mold frame and elements carried thereby from an upright mold filling position to an inverted block discharging position and return to said upright position, means for filling said mold with a cementitious material, means for supplying fluid pressure to said fluid pressure cylinders and valve means for controlling the operation of said fluid pressure cylinders, whereby said mold may be filled with cementitious material in upright position, a pallet placed on top of said mold and clamped in position by downward movement of said upper crosshead and pallet engaging means, said material compressed by upward movement of said lower crosshead and pressure plate, said material further compressed during movement of: said mold frame and elements carried thereby from upright to inverted position, the block ejected from saidmold by simultaneous downward movement of said upper and lower crosshead and the block moved downwardly to block discharging position by further downward movement of said upper crosshead.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Pettipiece Apr. 2, 1957 

